push-up

American  

[poosh-uhp] / ˈpʊʃˌʌp /

noun

• push-ups
  plural

1. an exercise in which a person, keeping a prone position with the hands palms down under the shoulders, the balls of the feet on the ground, and the back straight, pushes the body up and lets it down by an alternate straightening and bending of the arms.

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adjective

1. (of a brassiere) having padding and usually underwires in the lower part of the cups so as to raise the breasts and make them seem fuller.

2. (of a sleeve) made to be pushed up the arm, away from the wrist or elbow, so as to create a puffed or creased fullness.

push-up British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): press-up.  an exercise in which the body is alternately raised from and lowered to the floor by the arms only, the trunk being kept straight with the toes and hands resting on the floor

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• push-ups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of push-up

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase push up

Compare meaning

How does push-up compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• press-up vs. push-up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

push-up push-ups

He developed a sitting exercise called the soleus push-up External link.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

Other weeks I couldn’t do a push-up on my knees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Back then, I was pretty vain, and we would do this push-up routine before I went onstage so I’d look jacked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

“It’s so modern,” she whispered, her finger carefully operating a push-up mechanism to reveal a dark Bordeaux wax pigment still intact after 153 years.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

And she’ll always think back to the time when she taught him to do a proper push-up.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Researchers note that free weights, dumbbells, weight machines, and bodyweight exercises such as modified push-ups, wall presses, and knee bends can all help improve strength.

From Science Daily ● May 12, 2026

Someone said to me, “Maybe send an email out to the parents and let them know I’m not going to be putting them through boot camp, and making them do push-ups and screaming at them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

I’m sure he can do push-ups, as he constantly brags.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

"I can't wait to make him do push-ups and sit-ups and run around."

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025

So I knocked out ten push-ups, then ten more.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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